Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) is believed to be reviewing its brand alliance with Virgin Mobile, as part of its brand restructuring exercise. After buying out Virgin Mobile’s 50 per cent stake in the marketing joint venture, the operator is now reviewing the branding tie-up, which was expected to continue.
Virgin Mobile’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO)-based business model does not entail setting up mobile networks, but purchases airtime in bulk from existing operators and sells it under its own label. In India, it had entered a five-year branding arrangement with the Tata Group, earning a royalty fee.
TTSL is re-jigging its brand architecture and plans to line-up resources behind the DOCOMO brand, which mainly operates on the GSM platform.
